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C. H. READ, Jr. 86 A. M. GOYLE.

\ SPEED GOVERNOR FOR ELEVATORS.

No. 392,753. Patented Nov. 18, 1888.

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I CHARLES H. READ, JR, AND ANDREXV M. OOYLE, OF \VASI-IINGTON,

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA.

SPEED GOVERNOR FOR ELEVATORS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 392,753. dated November13, 1888. Application filed January 5, 1858. Serial No. 259,927. (Nomodel.)

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, CHARLES H. READ, J r., and ANDREW M. CoYLE, ofWashington, in the District of Columbia, have invented certainImprovements in Speed-Governors for Elevators, of which the following isa specification.

The aim of our invention is to provide a simple, inexpensive, andreliable governor for controlling the speed of elevator ears or cages,and one which may be applied without the necessity of making deepexcavations or making attachment directly to the car.

The improvement is intended more particularly for application to thatclass of domestic elevators in which the car is raised by acounter-weight and depressed byawaterload delivered into the receptacleon the car by a flexible pipe, as represented, for example, in LettersPatent of the United States granted to C. II. Read, Jr., No. 318,586,dated September 7, 1886; but the improvement is also to a limited extentapplicable to elevators in which the cars are otherwise operated.

In elevators of the Read type, in which the elevation of the car iseffected by a constant weight connected therewith and its depressioneffected by water or other variable load applied to the ca.r,"one of thechief dangers not to be found in other elevators resides in theliability of the weight to carry the car upward at a dangerous speed inthe event of the load being suddenly diminished-ms, for example, by theaccidental escape of the water. Our invention has, in fact, as one ofits principal improvements the limitation of the speed of the car in anupward direction.

The accompanying drawing represents a sectional elevation through anelevator provided withour improvement.

Referring to the drawing, A represents the elevator-car, constructed andarranged to move vertically in a suitable wellway or guides in anordinary or suitable manner.

B represents a suspending rope or cable connected to the car andextended thence over a stationary pulley, O, downward beneath a movablepulley, D, and upward to a stationary support, E.

F represents a weight to counterbalance the car, suspended from the axisof pulley D.

pipe is located directly beneath the pulley I),

and is filled with water, brine, glycerine, or other suitable fluid to apoint near its upper end. Within the tube we mount a piston, H,suspended by a red, I, from the pulley D. This piston, which serves alsoto partially or, if desired, to wholly eon nterbalance the car, is madeof considerable length and of such size or form as to allow the PdFSlg'Bof the fluid wholly around its exterior surface between it and the pipe.

The upper end of the stand-pipe G is at tachcd to or extended upward inthe form of an air-chamber, J, the upper end of which is closed by ahead or cap, j, which loosely en circles the rod. An air-pipe, K, leadsfrom the upper portion of the airchaniber J downward into the upper endof the stand-pipe at or near the surface of the fluid. A, loosediaphragm or piston, M, is located in the airchamber loosely around thepiston'rod, which is provided with a collar, i, adapted to act beneathand lift the piston hi when the car is near its lower limit and thepiston II near the upper end of the stand-pipe.

The operation of the piston is as follows: As the car ascends anddescends its suspendin g-rope B, acting through the pulley D,raises andlowers the pistonrod and the pistonweight II. During the ascent of thecar the weight I-I descends in the stand-pipe; but, owing to the factthat the annular space around it for the passage of the fluid is ofsmall area, the weight is prevented by the fluid thereunder fromdescending rapidly, and consequently the sudden elevation of the car isprevented although the weight thereon should from any cause fallconsiderably below that of the counter-weight. As the car descends theweight I-I rises in the stand-pipe, being retarded by the weightof thesupcrincumbent fluid,which descends slowly around it. Owing to the factthat the weight of the fluid column above the piston H diminishes as thelatter approaches the top of the stand-pipe,it is found advisable toprovide supplemental means for checking the motion of the car at the endof its descent, and it is for this purpose that we employ theair-chamber J and loose piston M. \Vhcn the ear is near the foot of theshaft and the weight H near the top of the stand-pipe, the collar t actsagainst the piston M and carries the same .npward, thereby comp ressi ngin the upper end of the air-chamber the contained air, which serves asan elastic cushion. The air escaping through the pipe K and around thepiston rod J allows the piston to rise slowly. By means of theair-cushion thus provided the rapidly-descendin g car may be arrestedquickly and without shock.

The pipe K may be omitted and the air permitted to escape solely aroundthe piston rod or through any other restricted opening provided for thepurpose.

The counter-weight F may be omitted. and the piston-weight H made ofsuitable size to alone counterbalance the car.

It is obvious that instead of permitting the fluid to pass wholly aroundthe exterior surface of the piston-weight the latter may be closelyfitted externally to the staiul-pipe,but provided with restrictedopenings (or the pas sage of fluid through it.

In order that the speed to which the car is restricted by the governormay be increased or diminished, we propose to provide a sup plementalpipe, 0, leading from the upper to the lower end of the stand-pipe, andprovided with a suitable throttling-valve,P. This pipe forms asupplemental passage for the fluid from one end to the other of thestand-pipe around the piston. ll desired, the fluid may pass whollythrough this pipe instead of passing partly around or through thepiston.

It is to be observed as an important feature of our invention that thestand-pipe and the fluid therein are so combined with the pistouweightas to limit its descent, and thus limit the speed of the ascending car.

We are aware that Valve-pistons moving through a fluid column have beencombined with a car mechanically lifted to control the speed of itsdescent, their construction being such that they did not control thespeed of its ascent.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim is-- 1. In anelevator in which the elevation of the car is effected by a constantcounterweight and its depression effected by the application of avariableload directly thereto,the combination of the car, itssuspending-rope, the counter-weight applied to said rope and arranged toeffect the elevation of the car, and the stand-pipe supplied with liquidand fitted to the weight to retard the descent of the same, whereby thecar is prevented from rising at a dangerous speed in the event of itsload be ing improperly reduced.

2. In combination with the elevator-car, its suspending-rope, and apiston-weight suspended by said rope, a stand-pipe in which said weightis loosely titted, afiuid column in said pipe, an air-chamber at the topof said pipe, and a loose piston mounted in the airchambcr and adaptedto be lifted with the piston-weight as the latter completes its ascent.

3. An elevator car provided with a waterchamber and a pipe for lillingthe same to effect the depression of the car, in combination with acounter weight connected to and adapted unaided to lift the car, avertical stationary pipe in which the weight rises and falls, and aliquid column in said pipe, the pipe and piston being fitted asdescribed, to

restrict the llow of the fluid past the weight both during its ascentand its descent, whereby the car is prevented from either ascending ordescending attan objectionable speed.

4:. In a -speed-governor for elevators, the stand-pipe, the fluid columntherein, the airchamber at its top, the return-pipe K,ai d the loosepiston M, in combination with a pistonweight, H, and its rod adapted tolift the piston M as the weight H completes its ascent.

In testimony whereof we hereunto set our hands, this 24th day ofDecember, 1887, in the presence of two attesting witnesses.

CHARLES H. READ, JR. ANDREW M. (DOYLE.

Witnesses:

P. T. DODGE, \V. R. KENNEDY.

